Perception: Visited Statue of Liberty

Perception: Visited Statue of Liberty Few experiences in one's lifetime truly influence your perception of the world and the surrounding reality. For some, the birth of their first child is the event that defined the rest of their lives; for others a master's degree or a job promotion. For me, it was a visit to the Statue of Liberty. The bustling rhythm of everyday life tends to distract us from actually paying attention to images we see on a regular basis.

For instance, few New Yorkers really take into consideration anymore the existence of one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, the Empire State Building. They see it as a mere and constant presence on the city's urban landscape. Although it is hard to admit it, the Statue of Liberty unfortunately seems to enjoy the same treatment. There are New Yorkers who have never been to Ellis Island to enjoy the close up view of Lady Liberty or, on the contrary, to experience the far away image of Manhattan.

Last summer I was determined not to be one of those people that would settle for less than the entire experience of freedom the Statue of Liberty enshrines. Throughout the summer, in the city, it is impossible to actually feel the first chilly signs of the morning. Even at the early hours, the sun seems to have woken up before you. Thus, the chocking atmosphere of the afternoon was no mystery, and was the result of an entire day of hot sun, cars, rush hours, horns and agitated life.

Although there are two different ways to get to the Statue, I opted for the New Jersey way, taking the ferry from Liberty State Park. There were many people who had decided that afternoon to make an incursion in the nation's history, but to my surprise and, honestly, to my disappointment, most of them were foreigners.

Sometimes, I tried to ease drop to the conversations taking place around me and I recognized some words from the discussions two Italians were having while enjoying their, what I guessed to be, a spiced burrito, or the Australian couple sitting on my right who were expressing their amazement at the terrible traffic New York has during the day. Yet, the time spent until I reached my destination was rather agreeable. People were enjoying themselves, be it because of the early sundown, or because of the company they were in.

Apparently, the closing in of the Statue was little reason for conversation. Due to unfortunate circumstances, this experience was as personal as possible, because I was the only one on the ferry that took the trip alone. Still, I do not regret my choice. I got the chance to watch carefully the grand spectacle opening up in front of me, as we left the land. My first impression was in fact the opposite of the one you experience when analyzing a pointillist painting.

The artistic creation demands you to watch it from afar. It would only reveal itself and its true meaning and message when you are standing 30 feet from it. In the case of my experience, Lady Liberty would prove to demand the opposite. It would transmit its real message only from a close distance, when you can actually feel her presence and see the details of its construction.

Thus, the ferry ride was a sort of prelude, and it offered me the possibility to be prepared to embrace the mystery she had to reveal. As we approached the island, the people around me started to take notice of the evident reason of their trip. They began slowly to change the topic of their conversations, from wedding plans to a few details of the Statue's history.

There was an American family that had decided to offer their two small blond twins a history lesson and, in easy language, they explained to them the patriotic importance of the symbol they were seeing approach. You could tell their amazement as they were listening to their father telling about the French gift offered to the American people in 1886, as a sign of friendship between the two nations.

Of course, as a typical result of their young age, questions about practical transportation of the statue and the means through which "The Lady" is not yet tired of holding that torch for so many years, soon came out of the girls' mouths, leaving their father rather confused.

However, the Lady is not yet tired of being the one to have greeted the millions of immigrants that crossed the Atlantic from Europe, Africa, and Asia in search of a better life, of the liberties the American nation draws its strengths from. She has welcomed people from around the world, people that would ultimately influence the future of our nation. Many feel reluctant to admit to the fact that, indeed, we are a nation of immigrants.

However, these immigrants were attracted by the values of liberty, freedom, and equality, the exact freedoms for which she holds the torch today. Therefore, she is not tired of being the symbol of a nation and of its values, the essence of a culture which, however different from the centuries old French, British or Italian ones, is based on more powerful connections, those of human values. This cooper statue is a constant reminder of the enduring edifice of the American democracy.

This strong conviction suddenly hit me as I steped foot on the island and saw the grandeur of it all. From afar, it seemed a spot on the horizon line. From close up, it was larger than life. I translated the same perception to our democracy. Indeed, the word is constantly on the lips of politicians and people around the world and is most of the times voided of its true meaning. However, when one experiences it, as an intrinsic element of his existence, it becomes essential, larger than life.

The Statue of Liberty embodies this sense of democracy as part of an order above our seemingly unnoticeable existence. The.